Chapter Text
Othello woke up with a cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He slapped on his circular rimmed glasses and stumbled out of his bed and sat in the desk. Turning on the light, he opened up his textbook and started studying. Not because he needed too, no, he already memorized most of the shit in this book, but because he couldn't pretend he could sleep anymore. Not after that dream.
I just don't understand. Are you broken or something? Othello swatted away the words hovering in the air and slammed his hand down on the textbook. "What a fantastic diagram of the epidermal cells," he spoke out loud to help diminish the voice in his head. Or is there someone else? Is that it? Did you ever have feelings for me?
You're like a robot.
You're like a robot.
You're like a robot.
"Okay I get it already!" Othello snapped, holding his hands on his head and ruffling his hair. "Shut up please!"
"I didn't say anything though?"
Othello snapped his head up and stared at his doorway. Joker was in pajamas wearing bunny slippers with a sleepwear hat on his head. One of those cute ones with a little fuzzball all the way on the end.
"Joker? What are you doing awake?" Othello asked.
"I went to the bathroom," Joker yawned, covering his mouth. "And saw your light on again. I thought you were going to try and sleep better?" he frowned.
"I can't sleep I have uh," Othello looked at his worn-out textbook. "Studying to do?"
"That's your anatomy textbook from the class you took two semesters ago," Joker frowned. "Are you having trouble sleeping again?"
"I'm obviously trying to create the most beautiful eye bags in existence," Othello gestured to his face.
"Com'ere," Joker grabbed Othello and dragged him to the bed. The two plopped down and Joker cuddled up against Othello with his singular arm draped over his chest.
"You don't have to-"
"Shhhh, I'm sleepy," Joker closed his eyes and nuzzled his face into the covers beside Othello's head.
"Jokester," Othello grabbed his shoulder and shook him slightly. "What did I ever do to you huh? Why are you holding me captive?" he shed a single tear. "I can't sle-" Othello immediately passed out.
...
"Rise and shine pretty boy," Joker woke Othello up by doing a magic trick. The trick in question was to yank on the covers (since Othello wasn't sleeping underneath them) and do it so perfectly that Othello stayed in exactly the same position. "I think I'm getting better at doing this with one arm."
"Do you have a latent talent to manipulate this known dimension?" Othello opened his eyes slowly. "I honestly don't know how you manage to do this so well."
"Maybe start sleeping under the blanket and I won't have to get so good at this. Besides, I'm pretty sure you could explain the science behind this if you tried."
"I'm sleepy," Othello yawned. "Let me be a science master of the dark arts later."
"Do you want breakfast?" Joker grinned. "I made pancakes in the shape of atoms."
"You did what?!" Othello jumped up out of the bed and ran into the small dining area. "I could read a thousand textbooks and I still would not be able to understand this sorcery," Othello stared at the plate.
"Hehe," Joker scratched his cheek with his robotic arm. It freaked out and slapped him in the face. "Damnit," Joker grabbed the arm, trying to control it. "I knew I shouldn't have tried to get fancy with a cheap model of the real thing."
"Gimme," Othello held out his hands with an atom pancake hanging out of his mouth. He grabbed the arm and went back into his room to fiddle with it. "You're right!" He called out of his room. "This is a piece of shit!"
"I'll just go back to not wearing an arm," Joker sighed, sinking to the ground and resting his back up against the cabinet.
"I'll make you one," Othello came back and pointed the arm at Joker. "If you want, at least a decorative one."
"What's decorative for you? An anatomically correct bone arm?"
Othello's eyes lit up and he clapped his hand with the fake one in his other. "Beautiful. Fantastic. Absolutely great idea!" he said, then ran off.
"Oh fuck-" Joker jumped up and ran after him. "Othello no! I'll be called skeleton arm for the rest of my life! Othello!"